The nonprofits and emergency responders that have been surviving for the better part of a decade on uneven, declining and delayed payments from the state aren't holding out much hope that next year will be any better.

Even with the pension reform deal that legislators approved at the beginning of December, all signs point to another year of scrounging and scrambling just to keep the status quo, said Steve Langley, CEO of Stepping Stones of Rockford, a nonprofit that offers housing and treatment for some of the hardest-to-serve clients with behavior and mental health issues.

In the spring and summer, when tax revenues are strong, the state typically catches up on its $7.6 billion backlog of bills. In the winter, when tax revenues are low or spent, the payments tend to dry up.

"That's been the discernible pattern now for several years, and it's not changing this year," Langley said.

Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka's office echoed the thought.

It has yet to be seen how the potential savings from the pension reform - an estimated $160 billion over 30 years - would free up money for human services, schools and vendors that are owed by the state. The reforms won't go into effect until June and they still have to survive legal challenges.

It's also lower than the $9 billion Topinka's office had predicted for the end of this year. Most of that difference is because the state reaped $1.3 billion more in tax revenues than expected, Hahn said.

But the ebb and flow will continue.

In the meantime, organizations like Stepping Stones that serve clients with behavioral and mental health problems are preparing for the switch to managed-care systems for Medicaid clients.

Instead of billing the state for clients on Medicaid, the providers will bill a for-profit organization.

The upside: The companies are expected to pay providers within a month. "That would take a lot of stress off of us," Langley said.

The downside: Providers are expecting to get less money and jump through more hoops to get the money.

"And it makes sense," Langley said. "If you're a company that's going to take over something that's not working well, you're going to make it work better, save taxpayers money and get paid for what you're doing, then something's gotta give.

"Either fewer people will get service or the people who do get service will get less service."